On December 1, we were joined by change management’s #1 Twitter Key Opinion Leader, Mike Lehr, and attendees from all around the world to discuss how hidden influencers can drive culture change in an organization. In case you were unable to attend, you can rest easy now, we have compiled the key learning points of the hour-long webinar.

The webinar was facilitated and started off by our Head of Research, András Vicsek, who presented on ‘Influencer Identification with a Network Approach’. András opened with talking about how behaviors (such as the quitting of smoking, or even the act of gaining weight), moods and values spread in a network. He then described that most companies put all their efforts in formal communications, while informal channels are often neglected.

<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Where do you normally prefer getting your information from, should it be a formal email or a casual chat over a cup of coffee?</figcaption></figure>

András also revealed, that oftentimes influencers are indeed hidden, and that management might not be aware of whom those employees are that have great influence over the wider team. Therefore, it is essential to introduce peer-nomination to find out who the most influential people are, as they will be able to reach significantly more employees informally than management or the change agents appointed by them.

<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Where do you normally prefer getting your information from, should it be a formal email or a casual chat over a cup of coffee?</figcaption></figure>

With the identification of influencers, organizations will be able to involve and empower them in their change programs from the start, which will result in a much higher success rate.

András’ presentation was followed by Mike Lehr’s session on ‘How Network Mapping Can Complement Our Leadership in Culture Change’. Mike talked about why the easiest time to change is also the worst time to change, and that it’s best to change when business is good, even if it may sound paradoxical.

He also listed the four most common mistakes when managing change. They are when change is:

Too Self-Centered

Too Rational

Too Much

Too Complex

The conclusion of Mike’s presentation was that network mapping complements change management by identifying employees most likely to accept change and influence others, whilst it also provides guidance to coordinating these employees.

Of course we recorded the entire session, so to rewatch it, just click on the video below:

Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken part and we look forward to seeing you again.